Buffalo County is under the Commissioner form of County Government. The County is divided into seven districts. A person from each district is elected to serve on the County Board by the voters in that district.

County Commissioners serve terms of four years each. A Commissioner may serve as many terms as he/she wishes. The Commissioner’s terms are staggered - four Commissioners are elected in one election year and the other three Commissioners are then elected in the second year.

A Commissioner must be a resident of the district they are elected to represent. If they should move away from their district during their term, they must resign their seat on the County Board. The annual salary for a Buffalo County Commissioner in 2018 is $25,000 with the Chairman of the Board receiving $27,400. The Commissioners are also allowed a mileage expense of $0.545 per mile when conducting County business away from their home.

By law, the County Board is required to meet only once a year, which is on the 2nd Tuesday following the first Thursday in January. The Buffalo County Board chooses to conduct its meetings on the second and fourth Tuesday of every month. These meetings begin at 9:00 a.m. and are open to the public. Minutes from each meeting are published in the Kearney Hub & on the Buffalo County website. During the first meeting of each year, the County Board elects a Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the Board.

In general, the County Board is the representative and guardian for the County. The County Board is the agency, which in official matters, acts for and on behalf of the County. The County Board derives its functions from the Legislature and its powers are prescribed by Statutes enacted by the Legislature